The field of this invention relates to crafts that move on water and more particularly to a brace for the mast of a windsurfer.
There is in common use a recreational vehicle for water which is called a windsurfer. A windsurfer generally comprises a sail which is mounted on a single mast which in turn is pivotally mounted by a universal joint on a surfboard. When sailing the windsurfer, a person stands on the board next to the sail and holds onto an oval boom which surrounds the mast and the sail. The windsurfer is controlled by a combination of body movements on the surfboard, body leaning and sail positioning.
Within windsurfers, it is important that the single sail provide maximum aerodynamic effect to provide for optimum efficiency and speed. At the present time, there is an intense competition between manufacturers to be able to state that a particular manufacturer has "the fastest windsurfer". Therefore, the design of sails, masts and rigging within the windsurfing industry has been the subject of intense development and innovation. As a result of this intense development and innovation, the maximum windsurfer speed has increased from approximately twenty knots to around forty knots over the last several years.
When the sail body of a windsurfer encounters the wind, the sail body billows. This "capturing of the wind" produces the force which drives the windsurfer. The mast is cantilevered relative to the sailboard. This means that the outer end or tip of the mast is free (not attached). This billowing of the sail body produces a lateral bending of the mast relative to the sailboard. It has been found that the greater the bend the greater the loss of efficiency and therefore the lower the speed of the windsurfer. Up to the present time, the only way to compensate for bending of the mast is to make the mast laterally as rigid and strong as possible. Most masts are constructed of a metallic material such as aluminum. No matter how strong the mast is made, inherently there is going to be some bending. The bending has to occur because the mast is cantilevered.